Heat Stroke Warnings from Treble Vuelta a España Stage Winner

Stage 15 of the Vuelta a España may have been shortened nearly two hours of racing due to forecasts of extreme heat, but that still left the riders very exposed for several hours.

Visma Lease a Bike rider Matthew Brennan made clear just how uncomfortable the conditions were in his post-race interview, and even made predictions of health consequences for riders in such circumstances.

It was, he indicated, a savage day in the saddle.

“Well, I wouldn’t do it again,” Brennan said. “I mean, on here we have 41°C average,” he said, consulting his power meter. “And you know, that’s the average. When I was on the climb at the start, it was 44°C. At that point you start thinking, ‘What are we doing?’”

On Thursday Tudor Pro Cycling’s Arthur Kluckers was transported to a hospital in an ambulance after struggling in temperatures that reached 38°C (100°F).

Brennan suggested that more would follow, and questioned the logic of holding races in such conditions.

“A normal office person has to have their temperature 20°C or whatever. And I’m sure the people in the UCI office will have theirs at 20°C as well, so I think when we’re out here slugging away for their sake…” he stated, leaving the rest of the sentence unfinished.

“I mean, it’s not great, but we do it. That’s the show we put on. But I think it wouldn’t surprise me if there’s a few bodies going home in an ambulance tonight with a heat stroke.”

Fortunately every rider who started the stage made it to the finish, and all within the time limit.

But others have been expressing concern for days. One of those giving a public warning was the Decathlon CMA CGM rider Sander de Pestel.

“Well, we’re battling the heat more than the competition or the course. A shame it came to this,” he said after Friday’s stage, according to Sporza.

“At the start, it wasn’t too bad. It was humid, but we’re used to that. The last two hours, though… Every descent felt like stepping into a brand-new sauna. It was absolutely crazy.”

Monday is fortunately a rest day at the race, giving the riders some respite from the brutal temperatures. The Vuelta restarts on Tuesday with a 181km stage to La Rábida Palos de la Frontera, with much of the final week located in the south of Spain and therefore at risk of very hot conditions.